"I love you and come back safely."
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These are the words Narromine Fire and Rescue captain Ewen Jones heard every time he left the house to go to an incident.
But now, with mixed emotions, it's time for Mr Jones to hang up his helmet after 32-years.
Feeling a lot of sadness but also a bit of relief, Mr Jones said he "knew it was the right time" after a tough year of witnessing many casualties.
The decision to not only step down as captain but to step away from the Fire and Rescue squad altogether wasn't an easy one, but was made a little easier knowing his family would be able to rest.
"The family is affected by being a firefighter, they get woken up at all hours when the pager goes off, or the fear I won't come back home, or even simple things like having parcels for the squad turn up at our house," he said.
Mr Jones first joined what was called New South Wales Fire Brigades (NSWFB) at 401 Station Narromine on December 15, 1991.
"I finally made it in on my third attempt, when we had a crew of 12. Robert Hawkins was Captain, and Bob Treseder the Deputy Captain," he said.
"We had a V8 petrol International Acco Truck (pumper), that I thought was just the bees knees. It was quick off the mark, sounded great, but did not like even the hint of a hill. Pushbikes used to overtake us when we were going uphill."
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Responding to calls via a pager and a set of bells in their houses, Mr Jones remembers his first firefighters outfit - a "lion tamers suit" consisting of a white plastic helmet, dark navy blue over trousers and coat, complete with knee high boots.
"I remember my first call, someone pressing the button on the front of the station, a thing people used to do for a thrill," he said.
"After a couple of weeks when I started, Captain Hawkins walked around at drill handing out little yellow envelopes, that had money in them. This was the first time I realised we got paid. The money was a small on-call allowance, and rate of pay to attend drill and calls."
In 2009 when Mr Jones became captain it was a family decision, knowing it would take up a lot of personal and family time.
"When you are the station commander or captain there's a lot of behind the scenes stuff that happens," he said.
His first "big" call was in the cellar at Mick Deep's shop in Dandaloo Street Narromine.
Other memorable fires Mr Jones has been to include:
- Mungeribah Manor
- Imperial Hotel
- Motorbike Shop
- Narromine High School (Hazmat Incident that went for 2 days)
- Teacher's Flats
Then there were many:
- Grass fires
- Motor Vehicle Accidents (MVA)
- Oil and diesel spills
- Yard fires
- House Fires
- Kitchen Fires
- HAZMAT Incidents
- Gas Leaks
- Assist Ambulance
- Assist Police
Narromine Fire and Rescue has long been assisting with the ambulance crew in the region, something they do to help the community but it also comes with its challenges.
"We had a really bad run last year, starting with a nine-year-old girl that was in an accident and didn't make it, and we had more in the lead up to Christmas and when you walk up to a home that has Christmas decorations to tell them they're loved one didn't make it, it's awful," he said.
"If I think about the fatalities too much I can just see them again and that's a horrible thing imprinted on your brain, so I will always encourage new firefighters that unless you have to look at that stuff, don't, because once you see it you can't un-see it."
As a community minded person Mr Jones said the "camaraderie" of the group, including his daughter who made it onto the squad in 2022 is what kept him going.
"I might've left 12 months ago but when my daughter got in I thought I better stick around but once she moved to Wellington, that helped make my decision," he said.
One of the aspects that Mr Jones has really enjoyed in his time at Fire and Rescue is all the community engagement, including school visits, open days, seniors week, new residents night and home fire safety visits.
"Smoke alarm campaigns are really important because smoke alarms save lives there's no two ways about it," he said.
One particular smoke alarm project Mr Jones is proud of is receiving funding for smoke alarms for the deaf.
"They've got a unit that goes under their pillow and vibrates like hell, it also has a real bright strobe light so deaf people can get the warning there's a fire," he said.
"We've had five of those donated and installed so I feel really proud to have achieved that."
Mr Jones said he was "mentally and physically" unable to continue his fire fighting career but wishes the next captain of 401 station "all the best".
"I hope the crew continue to work as a team and look after each other, there's no I in team," he said.
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